Receptacle housing and receptacle

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure discloses a receptacle housing and a receptacle. The receptacle housing comprises a housing body and a hole wall. The hole wall continuously extends from the housing body along an axial direction of the housing body. The hole wall surrounds along a circumferential direction of the housing body to form a mounting hole for accommodating a corresponding connecting terminal. The hole wall is provided with a water draining through-hole. By providing the water draining through-hole in the hole wall, the receptacle housing according to the present disclosure may drain water accumulated in the mounting hole in such a circumstance as water drops are brought therein upon plugging a mating connecting terminal, and provide water draining channels by means of such an ingenious structural design that safety performance may be enhanced.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a receptacle housing and a receptaclestructure, and particularly to a receptacle housing and a receptacleuseful for charging an electric vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A receptacle is used for plugging a mating electronic device toimplement an electrical connection therebetween. With more and moreelectric vehicles put into operation, it is necessary to consider how toimprove the safety performance of charging the electric vehicles. Anelectric vehicle usually can be charged by plugging an external charginggun into a charging receptacle. Due to the complexity of applicationenvironments, the electric vehicles often have to experience variousenvironments such as rain, moisture, water splashes or the like, andconsequently it is often easy for water to accumulate inside thecharging receptacle. When the accumulated water within the chargingreceptacle is accumulated to a certain extent, it will bring hiddenrisks to the safety of the electric vehicles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One of the objectives of the present disclosure is to provide areceptacle housing and receptacle having a simple structure and enablingdrainage of accumulated water to overcome one or more drawbacks in theprior art.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a receptaclehousing is provided. The receptacle housing comprises a housing body anda hole wall. The hole wall continuously extends from the housing bodyalong an axial direction of the housing body. The hole wall surroundsalong a circumferential direction of the housing body to form a mountinghole for receiving a corresponding connecting terminal. The hole wall isprovided with a water draining through-hole.

In one embodiment of the receptacle housing as described above, themounting hole is arranged to extend along the axial direction of thehousing body. The water draining through-hole is arranged at a bottomend of the hole wall.

In another embodiment of the receptacle housing of the presentdisclosure, the water draining through-hole is arranged to extend alongthe axial direction of the housing body. An axial length of the waterdraining through-hole is larger than a circumferential width thereof

In still another embodiment of the receptacle housing of the presentdisclosure, the water draining through-hole is arranged to continuouslyextend along the axial direction of the housing body to a free end ofthe hole wall.

In yet another embodiment of the receptacle housing of the presentdisclosure, the housing body has a support face. The hole wall isarranged on the support face. The water draining through-hole isarranged to extend along the axial direction of the housing body and tobe spaced apart from the support face.

In some other embodiments of the receptacle housing of the presentdisclosure, the free end of the hole wall is provided with a backstopwall. The backstop wall is provided to protrude inwardly along a radialdirection of the housing body to prevent the connecting terminal fromfalling off the mounting hole. As an alternative embodiment, thebackstop wall has a continuous inner circumferential surface. In anotheralternative embodiment, the backstop wall extends along thecircumferential direction of the housing body to form a closed-ringshape. In yet another alternative embodiment, the water drainingthrough-hole extends from the hole wall onto the backstop wall to forman L shape.

In some other embodiments of the receptacle housing of the presentdisclosure, the receptacle housing comprises a plurality of the holewalls. A fencing wall is provided on the housing body. The fencing wallis arranged to protrude along the axial direction of the housing bodyand extend along the circumferential direction of the housing body tosurround all of the hole walls to form a retaining cavity. As analternative embodiment, the plurality of hole walls are arranged to bespaced from one another. In some other alternative embodiments, a secondwater draining through-hole is provided on the fending wall, the secondwater draining through-hole being in external communication with thehousing body. Preferably, the mounting hole is arranged to extend alonga horizontal direction. The water draining through-hole is arranged at abottom end in a vertical direction of the hole wall. The second waterdraining through-hole is arranged at a bottom end in a verticaldirection of the fencing wall. In another alternative embodiment, thefencing wall is provided with a retaining groove. The retaining groovemay be arranged to maintain integrated with a plug.

In an embodiment of the receptacle housing of the present disclosure,the receptacle housing is an injection-molded unit. In anotherembodiment, the receptacle housing is an integrated injection-moldedunit.

The receptacle housing as described in any of the above-mentionedembodiments is an electric vehicle charging receptacle housing.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a receptacle isfurther provided. The receptacle comprises a connecting terminal and areceptacle housing according to any one of the foregoing. The connectingterminal is mounted into the mounting hole to be electricallyconnectable to a corresponding mating terminal.

In one embodiment of the receptacle of the present disclosure, one ormore of the connecting terminals are provided for one or more of theelectrical connections below: an electrical connection between a DCpower supply anode and a corresponding mating terminal; an electricalconnection between a DC power supply cathode and a corresponding matingterminal; an electrical connection between a grounded terminal and acorresponding mating terminal; an electrical connection between acharging communication anode and a corresponding mating terminal; anelectrical connection between a charging communication cathode and acorresponding mating terminal; an electrical connection between a firstcharging connection confirming terminal and a corresponding matingterminal; an electrical connection between a second charging connectionconfirming terminal and a corresponding mating terminal; an electricalconnection between a low-voltage auxiliary power supply anode and acorresponding mating terminal; and an electrical connection between alow-voltage auxiliary power supply cathode and a corresponding matingterminal.

In another embodiment of the receptacle of the present disclosure, theconnecting terminal is a female terminal, the female terminal having acontact wall. The contact wall extends along a circumferential directionof the housing body to form an accommodating cavity. The accommodatingcavity is arranged for accommodating a corresponding male terminal. Thecontact wall has a position vacating through-hole and/or a positionvacating notch. The position vacating through-hole, the positionvacating notch, and the water draining through-hole are arranged to beat least partially aligned.

Compared with the prior art, by providing a water draining through-holein the hole wall, the receptacle housing according to the presentdisclosure may drain water accumulated in the mounting hole, in such acircumstance as water drops are brought therein upon plugging a matingconnecting terminal (e.g., a female terminal). Water draining channelsare provided by means of such an ingenious structural design that thesafety performance may be improved. Preferably, when the mounting holeis arranged at a bottom end in the vertical direction, the accumulatedwater may be automatically discharged by its own gravity, therebyenhancing water drainage efficiency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description is set forth in connection with the attacheddrawing figures, which are not necessarily to scale, emphasis insteadgenerally being placed upon illustrating the principles of theinvention. In the drawing figures:

FIG. 1 is a stereoscopic sectional view of a receptacle housing providedaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a stereoscopic structural schematic view of the receptaclehousing of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a projection diagram of the receptacle housing of FIG. 2 in adirection along which a mating terminal is plug-fitted;

FIG. 4 is a layout stereoscopic sectional view of an embodiment of areceptacle provided according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a stereoscopic structural schematic diagram of an embodimentof the connecting terminal in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partial stereoscopic sectional view of the receptaclehousing provided according to the present disclosure showing onemounting hole;

FIG. 7 is another schematic view of the receptacle housing of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partial stereoscopic sectional view of the receptaclehousing of FIG. 6 showing multiple mounting holes;

FIG. 9 is a projection schematic diagram of the receptacle housing ofFIG. 6 along a mounting direction of the connecting terminal;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a receptacle provided according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of theconnecting terminal with a sealing ring in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a structural schematic diagram of the connecting terminal inFIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a partial enlarged schematic view of the receptacle of FIG.10 at M;

FIG. 14 is a stereoscopic structural schematic diagram showing an uppersurface of a secondary lock provided according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 15 is a projection schematic diagram showing a lower surface of thesecondary lock of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a stereoscopic structural diagram of an embodiment of areceptacle provided according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a structural schematic diagram of the receptacle housingshown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a partial enlarged schematic view of the receptacle of FIG.16 at M;

FIG. 19 is a projection schematic diagram of the receptacle of FIG. 16provided with a connecting terminal taken along a mounting direction ofthe connecting terminal, and FIG. 19 shows that the secondary lock ispre-assembled on the receptacle housing;

FIG. 20 is a projection schematic diagram of the receptacle of FIG. 19,and FIG. 20 shows that the secondary lock is lock-fitted with areceptacle housing and a connecting terminal final lock;

FIG. 21 is a partial enlarged schematic view of the receptacle of FIG.19 at N1;

FIG. 22 is a partial enlarged schematic view of the receptacle of FIG.20 at N2;

FIG. 23 is a partial enlarged schematic view of the receptacle of FIG.19 at N3.

FIG. 24 is a partial enlarged schematic view of the receptacle of FIG.20 at N4;

FIG. 25 is a stereoscopic structural schematic view of the receptacle ofFIG. 19 provided with a circuit board;

FIG. 26 is a partial stereoscopic sectional view of the receptacle ofFIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is a projection schematic diagram of the receptacle of FIG. 25along a transverse direction;

FIG. 28 is a stereoscopic structural schematic diagram of an electricprotective cover provided according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 29 is a structural schematic diagram of the electric protectivecover of FIG. 28 showing a bottom face;

FIG. 30 is a projection schematic diagram of the electric protectivecover of FIG. 28 showing a top face;

FIG. 31 is a bottom view of the electric protective cover of FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a stereoscopic structural schematic view of a receptacleprovided according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 33 is a projection schematic diagram of the receptacle of FIG. 32along a mounting direction of the electric protective cover;

FIG. 34 is a sectional view of the receptacle of FIG. 33 along line E-E;

FIG. 35 is a stereoscopic structural schematic view of the receptacle ofFIG. 32 provided with a connecting terminal;

FIG. 36 is a projection schematic diagram of the receptacle of FIG. 35along a mounting direction of the electric protective cover;

FIG. 37 is a sectional view of the receptacle of FIG. 36 along line F-F;

FIG. 38 is a stereoscopic structural schematic view of the receptacle ofFIG. 35 provided with a mating housing;

FIG. 39 is a stereoscopic local sectional view of a sealing ringprovided according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 40 is a stereoscopic partial sectional view of the sealing ring ofFIG. 39 from another visual angle;

FIG. 41 is a projection view of a sealing assembly provided according tothe present disclosure from a direction opposite to the mountingdirection of the connecting terminal;

FIG. 42 is a stereoscopic exploded schematic view of the sealingassembly of FIG. 41;

FIG. 43 is a sectional view of the sealing assembly of FIG. 41 alongline A-A;

FIG. 44 is a partial enlarged schematic view of the sealing assembly ofFIG. 43 at M;

FIG. 45 is a stereoscopic structural schematic view of the sealingassembly of FIG. 41 provided with a second support;

FIG. 46 is a stereoscopic structural schematic view of the sealingassembly of FIG. 41 provided with a first support;

FIG. 47 is a stereoscopic exploded schematic view of the sealingassembly of FIG. 41 provided with the second support and the firstsupport;

FIG. 48 is a projection schematic view of a receptacle providedaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 49 is a sectional view of the receptacle of FIG. 48 along line B-B;

FIG. 50 is a partial enlarged schematic view of the receptacle of FIG.49 at N;

FIG. 51 is a stereoscopic structural schematic view of a receptaclehousing provided according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 52 is a partial enlarged view of the receptacle housing of FIG. 51at M;

FIG. 53 is a partial stereoscopic sectional view of the receptaclehousing of FIG. 51;

FIG. 54 is a stereoscopic structural schematic view of a receptaclehousing assembly provided according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 55 is a stereoscopic structural schematic view of a heat conductingelement shown in the receptacle housing assembly of FIG. 54;

FIG. 56 is a stereoscopic structural schematic view of a receptacleprovided according to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 57 is a partial stereoscopic sectional view of the receptacle ofFIG. 56.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings:

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, a receptacle housing 101 providedaccording to the present disclosure is shown. The receptacle housing 101comprises a housing body 10 and a hole wall 20 continuously extendingalong an axial direction of the housing body 10. The hole wall 20surrounds along a circumferential direction of the housing body 10 toform a mounting hole 25. The mounting hole 25 is configured for mountinga corresponding connecting terminal 80. A water draining through-hole 30is provided on the hole wall 20.

The housing body 10 is configured for supporting other mechanicalstructures and bearing corresponding electronic components. The specificshape and configuration of the housing body 10 are only required tosatisfy corresponding supporting performance. In this embodiment, thehousing body 10 is substantially plate-shaped. Specifically, the housingbody 10 has a support face 12. The support face 12 of the housing body10 is configured for supporting the hole wall 20. To facilitatemanufacturing and save space, the support face 12 is planar in thisembodiment.

Continuously with reference to FIG. 2, the hole wall 20 is arranged toextend continuously along the axial direction of the housing body 10.The hole wall 20 is arranged on the support face 12. In this embodiment,an outer circumferential face of the hole wall 20 is a cylindrical face.To improve the efficiency of discharging the water drops accumulatedwithin the mounting hole 25 out of the water draining through-hole 30,an inner circumferential face 22 of the hole wall 20 is a cylindricalface. The hole wall 20 encloses a corresponding mounting hole 25. Thespecific number, distribution, and size specifications of the mountinghole 25 are only required to satisfy the needs of mounting and retainingthe connecting terminal 80. In this embodiment, the corresponding 9mounting holes 25, 25 b, 25 c, 25 d, 25 e, 25 f, 25 g, 25 h, 25 i, 25 jenclosed by the 9 hole walls 20, 20 b, 20 c, 20 d, 20 e, 20 f, 20 h, 20i, 20 j are all arranged to extend along an axial direction of thehousing body 10 and to be mated with an axially plugged mating terminal,thereby implementing a plugged electrical connection between the matingterminal and the connecting terminal 80. At least some of the mountingholes 25, 25 b, 25 c, 25 d, 25 e, 25 f, 25 g, 25 h, 25 i, 25 j havedifferent axial extension lengths and/or radial sizes. The innercircumferential face of the hole wall 20 is arranged to be a cylindricalface, i.e., a smooth surface, which facilitates water to accumulate andslide into the water draining through-hole 40.

Continuously with reference to FIG. 3, to enhance the performance of themounting hole 25 to retain the corresponding connecting terminal 80, afree end 20 b of the hole wall 20 is provided with a backstop wall 28.The backstop wall 28 is arranged to protrude along a radial direction ofthe housing body 10. The backstop wall 28 may be axially block-fitted tothe connecting terminal 80, thereby preventing the connecting terminal80 from sliding out of the mounting hole 25. The specific size andconfiguration of the backstop wall 28 are only required to implementaxially blocking the corresponding connecting terminal 80. In thisembodiment, to sufficiently guarantee the performance of the backstopwall 28 to retain the connecting terminal 80, the backstop wall 28extends along the circumferential direction of the housing body 10 toform a closed-ring shape. Correspondingly, the backstop wall 28 issubstantially annular plate-shaped. Specifically, 9 backstop wall holes28, 28 b, 28 c, 28 d, 28 e, 28 f, 28 g, 28 h, 28 i, 28 j are arranged inone-to-one correspondence within the 9 mounting holes 20, 20 b, 20 c, 20d, 20 e, 20 f, 20 h, 20 i, 20 j of the hole wall. The backstop walls 28,28 b have continuous inner circumferential surfaces 29, 29 b. In thisembodiment, each backstop wall 28 has an inner circumferential surface29.

The water draining through-hole 40 is arranged through the hole wall 20.The water draining through-hole 40 is arranged to extend along theradial direction of the housing body 10. The specific shape and size ofthe water draining through-hole 40 are only required to provide achannel for draining the water accumulated in the mounting hole 25. Inthis embodiment, to enhance the efficiency of water drainage and achievethe performance of automatically discharging the accumulated water, themounting hole 25 is arranged to extend along a horizontal direction.Correspondingly, the water draining through-hole 40 is disposed at abottom end of the hole wall 20. That is, the water draining through-hole40 is disposed at a bottom end in a vertical direction, such that theaccumulated water automatically slides off by its own gravity. Toenhance water draining performance and maintain the mechanical strengthof the hole wall 20, the water draining through-hole 40 is arranged toextend along the axial direction of the housing body 10.Correspondingly, an axial size of the water draining through-hole 40 isgreater than its circumferential size. To further enhance the waterdraining performance, to facilitate manufacturing and maintain thewaterproof performance of the housing body 10, the water drainingthrough-hole 40 extends from the hole wall 20 onto the backstop wall 28to form a substantially L-shaped through-groove, avoiding a decrease inthe waterproof performance due to extension onto the housing body 10.

To improve the performance of firmly connecting with a correspondingplug during charging, a fencing wall 50 is provided on the housing body10. The fencing wall 50 is protrudingly arranged on the housing body 10.The fencing wall 50 is arranged to continuously extend along an axialdirection from the support face 12 of the housing body 10. The fencingwall 50 is arranged to extend along the circumferential direction of thehousing body 10 and surround all of the hole walls 20 to form aretaining cavity 55. That is, the fencing wall 50 and the housing body10 enclose a barrel-shaped structure for receiving the correspondinghole wall 20.

To further enhance the water draining performance and achieve theautomatic water discharging function, a second water drainingthrough-hole 58 is provided on the fencing wall 50. The second waterdraining through-hole 58 is configured for draining the wateraccumulated in the retaining cavity 55. To avoid difficulty in drainingthe water accumulated at a bottom end enclosed by the retaining cavity55 and the surface of the housing body 10, the second water drainingthrough-hole 58 is arranged to intersect or interface with the housingbody 10. That is, the second water draining through-hole 58 is arrangedat the bottom end of the fencing wall 50. The inner face of the fencingwall 50 is a cylindrical face, thereby facilitating water to accumulateand slide into the second water draining through-hole 58. In thisembodiment, the second water draining through-hole 58 is substantially arectangular through-hole. More specifically, the second water drainingthrough-hole 58 may be a square through-hole.

Continuously referring to FIG. 1, during receiving a plug and charging,to improve the stable electrical connection with the plug, the fencingwall 50 is provided with a retaining groove 59. The retaining groove 59is configured for maintaining integrated with the mechanical structureon the plug including the mating terminal. For example, the retaininggroove 59 may be snap-fitted to a snap-joint (not shown) on the plug.The specific position, configuration and size of the retaining groove 59may be selected as needed. In this embodiment, the retaining groove 59is arranged on an outer surface of the fencing wall 50.

The housing body 10, the hole wall 20, and the fencing wall 50 may allbe separate parts. In this embodiment, the receptacle housing 101 is anintegrated unit. Specifically, the receptacle housing 101 is aninjection-molded unit.

Referring to FIG. 4, the present disclosure further provides areceptacle 103. The receptacle 103 comprises a connecting terminal 80and the receptacle housing 101 disclosed in the foregoing embodiments.The connecting terminal 80 is accommodated in the corresponding mountinghole 25.

The connecting terminal 80 is configured for electrically connecting avehicle battery pack and a mating terminal on a charging gun. The numberand specification of the connecting terminal 80 may be selected asneeded. FIG. 4 shows connecting terminals 80, 80 e, 80 f, 80 g, 80 j.Correspondingly, in this embodiment, 9 connecting terminals 80 ofdifferent specifications are plugged, in one-to-one correspondence, inthe 9 corresponding mounting holes 25, 25 b, 25 c, 25 d, 25 e, 25 f, 25g, 25 h, 25 i, and 25 j, respectively. In this embodiment, the 9connecting terminals 80 are configured for implementing the following 9electrical connections, respectively: an electrical connection between aDC power supply anode and a corresponding mating terminal; an electricalconnection between a DC power supply cathode and a corresponding matingterminal; an electrical connection between a grounded terminal and acorresponding mating terminal; an electrical connection between acharging communication anode and a corresponding mating terminal; anelectrical connection between a charging communication cathode and acorresponding mating terminal; an electrical connection between a firstcharging connection confirming terminal and a corresponding matingterminal; an electrical connection between a second charging connectionconfirming terminal and a corresponding mating terminal; an electricalconnection between a low-voltage auxiliary power supply anode and acorresponding mating terminal; and an electrical connection between alow-voltage auxiliary power supply cathode and a corresponding matingterminal. In other words, the 9 connecting terminals 80 may meet theelectrical connection requirements in relevant national standards ofChina regarding DC charging interfaces in a connecting device forcharging an electric vehicle transmission.

With reference to FIG. 5 together, the connecting terminal 80 c has acontact wall 82. The contact wall 82 encloses an accommodating cavity84. The accommodating cavity 84 is configured for accommodating acorresponding mating terminal. The contact wall 82 is arranged for acontact electrical connection with the mating terminal. The contact wall82 has a position vacating through-hole 86. The position vacatingthrough-hole 86 is arranged to be at least partially aligned with thewater draining through-hole 40 to drain the water accumulated in theaccommodating cavity 84 and on the corresponding mating terminal. Inthis embodiment, to enhance the water draining performance, a positionvacating notch 88 is further provided on the contact wall 82. Theposition vacating notch 88 extends to an end portion of the contact wall82. The end portion of the contact wall 82 is a portion that is firstmated with the mating terminal.

Additionally, unless otherwise indicated, “bottom” and “top,” “upper”and “lower,” and “left” and “right” appearing in the contents regardingthe receptacle housing 101 as described in the present disclosure areall relative concepts. Specifically, the upper, lower directions shownin FIG. 3 are corresponding top ends and bottom ends. In other words,the accumulated water naturally slides from the top down by its owngravity and is discharged. In this embodiment, an axial direction refersto the direction perpendicular to a horizontal plane in FIG. 3. Acircumferential direction refers to the circumferential direction inFIG. 3.

Preferably, the receptacle housing 101 is an electric vehicle chargingreceptacle housing. Correspondingly, the receptacle 103 is an electricvehicle charging receptacle. The plug refers to a charging gun fittedwith the electric vehicle charging receptacle. Correspondingly, theconnecting terminal 80 is a female terminal. The mating terminal is amale terminal.

Compared with the prior art, by providing a water draining through-hole40 in the hole wall 20, the receptacle housing 101 according to thepresent disclosure may drain water accumulated in the mounting hole insuch a circumstance as water drops are brought therein upon plugging amating female terminal, and provide water draining channels by means ofsuch an ingenious structural design that safety performance may beenhanced. Preferably, when the mounting hole 25 is arranged at a bottomend in the vertical direction, the accumulated water may beautomatically discharged by its own gravity, thereby enhancing the waterdrainage efficiency.

With reference to FIGS. 6 to 9, a receptacle housing 201 is providedaccording to the present disclosure. The receptacle housing 201comprises a housing body 210, a mounting hole 225, and a non-returnelement 230. The mounting hole 225 is axially opened on the housing body210 for receiving connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g(as will be described infra). The non-return element 230 is disposed onthe housing body 210 such that it may be block-fitted with theconnecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g, thereby blockingthe connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g from retreatingout of the mounting hole 225.

The housing body 210 is arranged for supporting other structures andelectronic components such as the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280f, and 280 g, etc. The specific shape and configuration of the housingbody 210 are only required to fulfill corresponding supportingperformance. The housing body 210 is substantially rectangularblock-shaped. The housing body 210 has a front side 211 and a rear side212 in an axial direction thereof. That is, when the receptacle housing201 is plug-fitted with the mating terminal (not shown) along the axialdirection of the housing body 210, the mating terminal is sequentiallyplugged from the front side 211 of the housing body 210 into the rearside 212 of the housing body 210.

The mounting hole 225 is disposed in the housing body 210 for mountingand receiving the corresponding connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280f, and 280 g. The mounting hole 225 is arranged to extend along theaxial direction of the housing body 210 so that it can receive thecorresponding connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 gaxially extending and mounted. The specific specification, shape,number, and distribution of the mounting hole 225 are only required tosatisfy the requirements to mount the corresponding connecting terminals280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g. In this embodiment, 9 mounting holes225, 225 b, 225 c, 225 d, 225 e, 225 f, 225 g, 225 h, 225 i, 225 j aredistributed on the housing body 210. FIG. 8 shows corresponding 9mounting holes 225 b, 225 c, 225 g, and 225 f enclosed by hole walls 220b, 220 c, 220 g, and 220 f. A small number of the mounting holes 225,225 b, 225 c, 225 d, 225 e, 225 f, 225 h, 225 i, 225 j have differentaxial extension lengths and/or radial sizes.

To enhance the performance of the mounting hole 225 retaining thecorresponding female terminal 280, free ends of the hole walls 220 c,220 f, and 220 g are provided with backstop walls 228 c, 228 f, and 228g. The backstop wall 228 is arranged to protrude along a radialdirection of the housing body 210. The backstop wall 228 may be axiallyblock-fitted to the female terminal 280, thereby blocking the femaleterminal 280 from sliding out of the mounting holes 225 c, 225 f, 225 g.The specific size and configuration of the backstop walls 228 c, 228 fand 228 g are only required to implement axially blocking of thecorresponding female terminal 280. In this embodiment, to sufficientlyguarantee the performance of the backstop walls 228 c, 228 f, 228 gretaining the female terminal 280, the backstop walls 228 c, 228 f, 228g extend along the circumferential direction of the housing body 210 toform a closed-ring shape. Correspondingly, the backstop walls 228 c, 228f, 228 g are substantially annular plate-shaped. Specifically, 9backstop walls 228, 228 b, 228 c, 228 d, 228 e, 228 f, 228 g, 228 h, 228i, 228 j are arranged in one-to-one correspondence in the 9 mountingholes 220, 220 b, 220 c, 220 d, 220 e, 220 f, 220 h, 220 i, 220 j ofhole wall.

The non-return element 230 is disposed on the housing body 210 andarranged to be axially block-fitted with the connecting terminals 280 b,280 c, 280 f, and 280 g. The non-return element 230 extends continuouslyfrom the housing body 210 towards the rear side 212 of the housing body210. The non-return element 230 may be any protruding structure such asa crossbar, a convex rib or the like, which may be axially block-fittedwith the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g. Thenon-return element 230 may also be snap-fitted with the connectingterminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g through snap-joints. As can beseen, the structure of the non-return element 230 is only required tosatisfy that when corresponding connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280f, and 280 g are mounted into the mounting holes 225, the mounting holesmay be axially block-fitted with the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c,280 f, and 280 g to block the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f,and 280 g from retreating out of the mounting holes 225. In thisembodiment, to facilitate demounting to thereby release the blockage ofthe connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g and then tofurther facilitate replacing the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280f, and 280 g, the non-return element 230 may be a boss 232. In thisembodiment, the boss 232 is radially protrudingly arranged on asupporting leg 235 (as will be described infra). To further facilitatedemounting, the boss 232 has a blocking face 232 b. The blocking face232 b may contact with the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and280 g for axially blocking to block the connecting terminal 280 b fromretreating from the rear side 212 of the housing body 210. To enhancethe blocking performance, in this embodiment, the blocking face 232 b isarranged to extend perpendicular to the axial direction of the housingbody 210. To facilitate demounting, the boss 232 may further comprise aguide bevel 232 a. The guide bevel 232 a is arranged to be inclined withrespect to the blocking face 232 b, thereby facilitating guiding theconnecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g, when being mounted,to be block-fitted with the blocking face 232 b. To facilitatedemounting, the non-return element 230 is a cantilever beam structurewhich is not connected with a connecting wall 215 but spaced therefrom.

In this embodiment, to enhance elastic deformation performance of theboss 232, the non-return element 230 comprises a supporting leg 235. Thesupporting leg 235 is configured for supporting the boss 232. Thespecific structure of the supporting leg 235 is only required to supportthe boss 232 and avoid direct disposition of the boss 232 onto thehousing body 210, thereby increasing the performance for the boss 232 togenerate an elastic deformation along a radial direction. To furtherenhance the elastic deformation performance of the supporting leg 235and to ease manufacturing, the supporting leg 235 is radially providedwith a through-hole 238. The through-hole 238 partitions the supportingleg 235 into two support columns 235 a, 235 b. In this embodiment, toachieve the balanced forced retaining performance, the two supportcolumns 235 a, 235 b are sized and configured identically.

It may be understood that the two support columns 235 a, 235 b maysimultaneously support the boss 232. In this embodiment, to easemanufacturing and to facilitate supporting the boss 232, the retainingelement 230 further comprises a supporting cross arm 237. The supportingcross arm 237 is connected to the two support columns 235 a, 235 b. Thesupporting cross arm 237 is configured for supporting the boss 232. Thesupporting cross arm 237 is arranged to extend along a transverse orcircumferential direction of the housing body 210. In this embodiment,the supporting cross arm 237 extends to form an arched plate.

As a variation, to achieve a larger elastic deformation space for theboss 232, only one of the supporting leg may be provided.Correspondingly, the boss 232 is radially and circumferentiallyprotrudingly provided on the supporting leg 235. It may also beunderstood that one of the support columns 235 a (or 235 b) in FIG. 6 isremoved, and only the other of the support column 235 b (or 235 a) isutilized to support the boss 232. The boss 232 may be an example of asnap jointing part to be snap-fittable with the connecting terminals 280b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g.

To enhance the protection of the non-return element 230 and facilitate afirm connection with other parts, the receptacle housing 201 may furthercomprise a fencing wall 213. The fencing wall 213 is arranged on thehousing body 210 to protrude along the axial direction of the housingbody 210. The fencing wall 213 is arranged to extend along thecircumferential direction of the housing body 210 to form anaccommodating cavity 219. The accommodating cavity 219 is configured foraccommodating the non-return element 230.

To facilitate manufacturing of the non-return element 230 and facilitatedemounting the non-return element 230 from the connecting terminals 280b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g, the receptacle housing 201 further comprisesa connecting wall 215. The connecting wall 215 is connected to thefencing wall 213 and a retaining wall 262 (as will be described infra),respectively. The connecting wall 215, the fencing wall 213, and theretaining wall 262 (as will be described infra) enclose a positionvacating groove 217.

To enhance the performance in protecting the non-return element 230, thereceptacle housing 201 further comprises a retaining wall 262. Theretaining wall 262 is arranged on the housing body 210 to protrude alongthe axial direction of the housing body 210. The retaining wall 262 isarranged to extend along the circumferential direction of the housingbody 210 and to enclose, together with the non-return element 230, aretaining cavity 264. The retaining cavity 264 communicates with themounting hole 225 to be capable of retaining the connecting terminals280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g. The specific configurations of theretaining wall 262 and the retaining cavity 264 are only required to becapable of retaining tail parts of the corresponding connectingterminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g. In this embodiment, theretaining wall 262 is substantially a partially circumferential wall andencloses, together with the non-return element 230, in a substantiallycircular tube shape. To improve the elastic deformation space of thenon-return element 230 and facilitate dismantling the non-return element230 from the corresponding connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and280 g, the retaining wall 262 is arranged to be transversely orcircumferentially spaced apart from one or two side walls of thenon-return element 230. In this embodiment, the retaining wall 262 andtwo side walls of the non-return element 230 are all arranged to bespaced apart along the circumferential direction of the housing body210. The retaining cavity 264 is only required to be capable ofcommunicating with the mounting hole 225 to accommodate and retain thecorresponding connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g. Inthis embodiment, the retaining cavity 264 and the mounting hole 225share the same central axis.

To enhance the stable performance in retaining the connecting terminals280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g and facilitate demounting, a retainingconvex rib 266 is protrudingly arranged on the inner surface of theretaining wall 262. A plurality of the retaining convex ribs 266 arearranged along the circumferential direction of the housing body 210.The retaining convex rib 266 is arranged to be transversely and/orradially block-fittable with the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280f, and 280 g (as will be described infra).

The specific material of the receptacle housing 201 may be selectedaccording to needs. In this embodiment, to facilitate electricalinsulation and to facilitate manufacturing a firm structure, thereceptacle housing 201 is an injection-molded unit. In other words, thereceptacle housing 201 is an integrated unit formed byinjection-molding. Correspondingly, the structural configuration of theabove-mentioned non-return element 230 greatly facilitates the formationof a waterproof structure and enhances the sealing and waterproofperformance.

With reference to FIG. 10, the present disclosure provides a receptacle203. The receptacle 203 comprises the receptacle housing 201 and theconnecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g as depicted in theforegoing embodiments. The connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and280 g are arranged on the receptacle housing 201 to enable an electricalconnection with a mating terminal on the charging gun.

The connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g are at leastpartially accommodated in the mounting hole 225 and may be arranged tobe axially block-fitted with the non-return element 230, thereby beingfirmly retained in the mounting hole 225. That is, the structures on theconnecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g are partiallyaccommodated in the mounting hole 225. The specification, type andnumber of the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g may beselected according to needs. In this embodiment, the connectingterminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g are female terminals to enablea plug-fittable electrical connection with the mating terminal on thecharging gun. In this embodiment, 9 connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c,280 f, and 280 g are separately and correspondingly mounted on thereceptacle housing 201 to meet corresponding Chinese national standards.FIG. 9 shows four connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g.

With reference to FIG. 11, the connecting terminal 280 f has a stepportion 281 f. The step portion 281 f is arranged to protrude along thetransverse and/or radial direction of the housing body 210 and may bearranged to be axially block-fitted with the non-return element 230. Thestep portion 281 f may be a boss shape arranged to protrude along theradial direction of the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and280 g. In this embodiment, to sufficiently guarantee that the stepportion 281 may be axially block-fitted with the non-return element 230at any circumferential angle, the step portion 281 f extends along thecircumferential direction of the housing body 210 to form a wholecircle.

With continuous reference to FIG. 11, to enhance the sealing andwaterproof performance between the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c,280 f, and 280 g and the housing body 210, the connecting terminals 280b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g are sleeved with a seal ring 285 to therebybecome sealed and waterproof. Specifically, the seal ring 285 is sleevedon the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g and isarranged to seal the gaps between the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c,280 f, and 280 g and the hole walls 220 of the mounting hole 225. Thatis, the seal ring 285 hermetically abuts against the hole wall 220 andthe connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g, respectively.In this embodiment, the seal rings 285 c, 285 f, 285 g are arranged toaxially contact with a second step portion 283 (as will be describedinfra).

With reference to FIG. 12 together, to avoid excessive mounting theconnecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g, the connectingterminal 280 f has a second step portion 283. The second step portion283 is arranged to protrude along the transverse and/or radial directionof the housing body 210 and may be arranged to be axially block-fittedwith the housing body 210. The second step portion 283 and the stepportion 281 are arranged back to back to axially define the connectingterminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g between the non-return element230 and the housing body 210. Specifically, the second step portions 283of the connecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, 280 g are block-fittedto the rear surface 214 of the housing body 210, thereby blocking theconnecting terminals 280 b, 280 c, 280 f, and 280 g from furtheradvancing when being plugged in place.

FIG. 13 shows that an included angle between the guide bevel 232 a ofthe non-return element 230 and the plugging direction of the connectingterminal 280 f is an acute angle a. By means of the step portion 281 fand the second step portion 283 f, the connecting terminal 280 f islimited within a height range W defined by the backstop face 232 b ofthe non-return element 230 and the rear surface 214 of the housing body210.

Preferably, the receptacle housing 201 is an electric vehicle chargingreceptacle housing. Correspondingly, the receptacle 203 is an electricvehicle charging receptacle. The plug refers to a charging gun fittedwith the electric vehicle charging receptacle. Correspondingly, theconnecting terminal 280 is a female terminal. The mating terminal is amale terminal.

To facilitate understanding relative positions of various parts asdescribed in the present disclosure, the terms “upper” and “lower”appearing in the contents about the receptacle housing 201 and thereceptacle 203 are relative concepts, and may be the top-down directionshown in FIG. 10. Moreover, the upper portion in FIG. 10 is the rearside 212 of the housing body 210, and the lower portion in FIG. 10 isthe front side 211 of the housing body 210. In addition, “left” and“right” and “top” and “bottom” and the like are all relative concepts.FIG. 6 shows relative directions of “axial,” “transverse,” and “radial.”It may be understood that the axial direction may be a top-downdirection or the mounting direction of the connecting terminals 280 b,280 c, 280 f, and 280 g. Correspondingly, the terms of “front” and“rear” are relative concepts, which may indicate that the matingterminal is plugged from the “front” towards the “rear.” Specifically,the front side 211 of the housing body 210 is an outer portion fitted tothe charging gun, while the rear side 212 of the housing body 210 is aninner portion of the housing mounted into an electric vehicle body.

Compared with the prior art, the receptacle housing 201 of the presentdisclosure may block, by means of the non-return element 230, theconnecting terminal 280 b from retreating from the mounting hole 225 jon the housing body 210, thereby to ensure a stable electricalconnection between the connecting terminal 280 b and the mating terminalon the charging gun. The receptacle housing 201 is ingenious instructure and convenient to manufacture, and thus facilitates designinga configuration having better waterproof performance.

With reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, a secondary lock 301 providedaccording to the present disclosure is shown. The secondary lock 301 hasa lock body 310 that may be mounted onto the receptacle housing 302, alocking portion 330 configured to be longitudinally block-fittable tothe receptacle housing 302, and a terminal retaining portion 350 forretaining a connecting terminal 303.

The lock body 310 has a longitudinal insertion direction. That is, thelock body 310 is mounted onto a receptacle housing 302 (as will bedescribed infra) by inserting along a longitudinal direction. In thisembodiment, the lock body 310 extends along the longitudinal direction.The lock body 310 may be longitudinally movable relative to thereceptacle housing 302, thereby successively implementing pre-assemblyon the receptacle housing 302 and maintaining integrated with a finallock of the receptacle housing 302. The specific shape and configurationof the lock body 310 are only required to be capable of supporting thelocking portion 330 and the terminal retaining portion 350. In thisembodiment, to sufficiently simplify the structure and utilize themounting space, the lock body 310 is substantially plate-shapedextending along a transverse direction and a longitudinal direction.

The locking portion 330 is protrudingly arranged on the lock body 10 tobe longitudinally block-fittable with the receptacle housing 302 and tomaintain integrated therewith. The specific configuration of the lockingportion 330 is only required to enable the corresponding axial blocking.For example, the locking portion 303 may be a boss or a snap-joint. Thenumber and distribution of the locking portion 330 may be selectedaccording to needs. In this embodiment, a pair of locking portions 330are arranged at two sidewalls of the lock body 330, respectively,thereby enhancing the performance in secure assembly onto the receptaclehousing 302 and enhancing the performance in retaining and limitingtransversely.

To facilitate manufacturing and providing a firm support, in thisembodiment, the locking portion 330 comprises a supporting arm 331 and alatch 333. The supporting arm 331 is disposed on the lock body 310 andis arranged to continuously extend along a longitudinal direction of thelock body 310. Further, to facilitate demounting the locking portion 330from the corresponding receptacle housing 302, the supporting arm 331 isarranged to be spaced apart from part of the sidewalls of the lock body310 to form a cantilever, thereby improving the elastic deformationperformance. The latch 333 is arranged on the supporting arm 331 toprotrude outwardly along the transverse direction of the lock body 310.The specific configuration and size of the latch 333 are only requiredto enable a longitudinal block-fit with the receptacle housing 302. Inthis embodiment, to facilitate demounting and improve blockingperformance, the latch 333 comprises a guide face (not shown) and alocking face. The guide face is arranged to extend and tilt relative toa longitudinal mounting direction of the secondary lock 301. That is, anincluded angle between the guide face and the longitudinal mountingdirection of the secondary lock 301 is an acute angle. The locking faceis perpendicular to the longitudinal mounting direction of the secondarylock 301. That is, the included angle between the locking face and thelongitudinal mounting direction of the secondary lock 301 is a rightangle. Further, the latch 333 comprises a front blocking face 333 a. Thefront blocking face 333 a may be block-fitted with the receptaclehousing 302, thereby retaining the secondary lock 101 at a pre-lockingposition and preventing the secondary lock 101 from accidentallyentering the locking position from the pre-locking position. The latch333 comprises a rear blocking face 333 b. The rear blocking face 333 bmay be longitudinally block-fitted with the receptacle housing 302,thereby retaining the secondary lock 101 at the locking position andpreventing the secondary lock 101 from leaving the locking position. Thefront blocking face 333 a and the rear blocking face 333 b are arrangedback to back. The terms of “front” and “rear” are relative concepts,i.e., front-rear along the longitudinal mounting direction of thesecondary lock 101. It needs to be noted that the “locking position” isthe “final locking position.”

The terminal retaining portion 350 is arranged on the lock body 310 tobe block-fitted with the connecting terminal 303. The specific shape andconfiguration of the terminal retaining portion 350 are only required tobe capable of being block-fitted with the connecting terminal 303 alongthe axial direction of the connecting terminal 303 to enhance the firmretaining performance in mounting the connecting terminal 303 onto thereceptacle housing 302. The terminal retaining portion 350 is arrangedto continuously extend along the longitudinal direction of the lock body310, so that when assembled longitudinally the secondary lock 301 ismoved to partially overlap with the connecting terminal 303 to enablethe axial blocking. The terminal retaining portion 350 may be a flange,a boss or a cantilever that extends along the transverse and/orlongitudinal direction of the lock body 310.

As an embodiment, an accommodating notch 355 is arranged on the lockbody 310 to further enhance the performance of the secondary lock 301and the connecting terminal 303 in limiting and retaining each other.The accommodating notch 355 is arranged for accommodating and retainingthe connecting terminal 303. Specifically, the accommodating notch 355has through-hole side walls 351, 352, and a bottom end wall 353. Thethrough-hole side walls 351, 352, the bottom end wall 353, and theterminal retaining portion 350 c enclose a through-hole. That is, theterminal retaining portion 350 c is a top end wall that is arranged tobe opposite to and spaced from the bottom end wall 353. Theaccommodating notch 355 may be a chamfered rectangular through-hole. Thethrough-hole sidewalls 351, 352 may enhance the performance intransversely limiting and retaining the connecting terminal 303. Thebottom end wall 353 may block the secondary lock 301 from beingexcessively mounted along the longitudinal direction and retain thesecondary lock 301 at the pre-assembling position. That is, the bottomend wall 353 may block the secondary lock 301 from moving along adirection opposite to the longitudinal mounting direction, but ratheronly moving along the longitudinal mounting direction to maintainintegrated with the final lock. In this embodiment, 7 accommodatingnotches 355 c, 355 d, 355 e, 355 f, 355 g, 355 h, 355 i may accommodatecorresponding connecting terminals 303 c, 303 d, 303 e, 303 f, 303 g,203 h, 303 i, respectively, and enclose, together with corresponding 7terminal retaining portions 350 c, 350 d, 350 e, 350 f, 350 g, 350 h,and 350 i, a corresponding through-hole. Correspondingly, the terminalretaining portion 350 c is plate-shaped extending transversely.

As another embodiment, accommodating notches 359, 359 b are provided onthe lock body 310 to further enhance the performance of the secondarylock 301 and the connecting terminal 303 in limiting and retaining eachother and meanwhile save materials and facilitate demounting. Theaccommodating notch 359 is arranged for accommodating and retaining theconnecting terminal 303. Specifically, the accommodating notch 359 areenclosed by the retaining sidewall 356 (or 356 b), the retaining bottomwall 357 (or 357 b), and the terminal retaining portion 350 (or 350 b).One of the retaining sidewalls 356, 356 b directly faces an opening, sothat the connecting terminal 303 may be transversely blocked. Theretaining bottom wall 357 is configured for blocking the secondary lock301 from being excessively mounted along the longitudinal direction andretaining the secondary lock 301 at the pre-assembling position. Theterminal retaining portion 350 as a retaining top wall is arranged to belongitudinally opposite to and spaced from the retaining bottom wall357. In this embodiment, a pair of the accommodating notches 359, 359 bare disposed at two sidewalls of the lock body 310, respectively, andmay accommodate the corresponding connecting terminals 303, 303 b.

The specific material of the secondary lock 301 is only required tosatisfy corresponding requirements. In this embodiment, the secondarylock 301 is a plastic unit. To facilitate manufacturing and enhance thestable performance, the secondary lock 301 is an integrated unit. Morespecifically, the secondary lock 301 is an injection-molded unit.

To enhance the stable performance in retaining the secondary lock 301along the axial direction of the connecting terminal 303 on thereceptacle housing 302, when the secondary lock 301 is axiallyblock-fitted with the connecting terminal 303 (i.e., the secondary lock301 is in the final locking position), the secondary lock 301 isarranged to be secured on the receptacle housing 302 along the axialdirection of the connecting terminal 303. The secondary lock 301 may befastened on the receptacle housing 302 by a fastener. In thisembodiment, the secondary lock 301 is limited by a circuit board 360 (aswill be described infra) and fastened by a fastener 340 (as will bedescribed infra) to be thereby axially retained within a preset axialspace range.

To facilitate movability of the secondary lock 301, a position vacatingthrough-hole 312 is provided on the lock body 310. The position vacatingthrough-hole 312 is configured for providing a connection space fordirectly fastening the receptacle housing 302 and the circuit board 360by the fastener 340. The position vacating through-hole 312 is enclosedby hole sidewalls 316, 318, hole front sidewall 319, and hole rearsidewall 317. The hole front sidewall 319 is arranged to belongitudinally block-fittable with a boss 377 on a receptacle housing302 (as will be described infra) to prevent the secondary lock 301 fromleaving the pre-locking position. The hole rear sidewall 319 is arrangedto be longitudinally block-fittable with the boss 377 to prevent thesecondary lock 101 from surpassing the locking position when inserting,thereby providing the blocking to retain the secondary lock 101 at thelocking position when mounting the secondary lock 101.

To reduce possible friction between the lock body 310 and the circuitboard 360, a support flange 315 is provided on the lock body 310. Thesupport flange 315 is provided to surround the position vacatingthrough-hole 312. The support flange 315 is arranged to protrude alongthe axial direction of the position vacating through-hole 312. To reducestress for enhancing the anti-vibration performance of the secondarylock 101, the secondary lock 101 is interstice-fitted with the chargingreceptacle housing 302 and the circuit board 360 respectively in anaxial direction of the connecting terminal 303 (as will be describedinfra), i.e., fitting without mutual contact.

With reference to FIG. 16, the present disclosure provides a receptacle305. The receptacle 305 comprises a receptacle housing 302 and thesecondary lock 301 as described in the foregoing embodiments. Thesecondary lock 301 may be pre-assembled on the receptacle housing 302and may longitudinally move to lock the final lock of the connectingterminal 303 onto the receptacle housing 302.

With reference to FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 altogether, the receptacle housing302 comprises a receptacle body 370 and a lock-fitting portion 380. Theshape and configuration of the receptacle body 370 are only required tobe capable of supporting the corresponding connecting terminal 303. Inthis embodiment, the receptacle body 370 is substantially block-shaped,extending axially and having a chamfered outer circumferential wall.

The lock-fitting portion 380 is provided on the receptacle body 370 andmay be integrally assembled with the final lock of locking portion 330of the secondary lock 301. The specific shape and configuration of thelock-fitting portion 380 are only required to be capable of lock-fittingwith the locking portion 330, so that the secondary lock 301 can belongitudinally block-fitted with the receptacle housing 302. In thisembodiment, the lock-fitting portion 380 is substantially a similarstructure to the latch 333 of the locking portion 330. To enhance theperformance in transversely limiting the secondary lock 301, a pair oflock-fitting portions 380 are arranged to be spaced transversely.

To enhance the performance in transversely limiting and retaining thesecondary lock 301, in this embodiment, a limiting wall 372 isprotrudingly arranged on the receptacle body 370. A pair of the limitingwalls 372 are arranged to be transversely spaced to transversely retainthe secondary lock 301. The lock-fitting portion 380 is provided on aninner sidewall of the limiting wall 372. The pair of limiting walls 372are arranged to extend along a longitudinal direction of the lock body310 to be capable of retaining the longitudinal mounting direction ofthe secondary lock 301.

To facilitate firmly supporting the connecting terminal 303, a mountinghole 375 extending axially is provided on the receptacle body 370. Themounting hole 375 is configured for accommodating a correspondingconnecting terminal 303. In this embodiment, the mounting hole 375 is athrough-hole. In this embodiment, 9 mounting holes 375, 375 b, 375 c,375 d, 375 e, 375 f, 375 g, 375 h, 375 i are configured foraccommodating, in one-to-one correspondence, 9 connecting terminals 303,303 b, 303 c, 303 d, 303 e, 303 f, 303 g, 303 h, 303 i.

To facilitate being integrally fastened with the fastener 340 axially, afastening hole 378 is provided on the receptacle body 370. To furtherfacilitate assembling, a boss 377 that is arranged to protrude axiallyis provided on the receptacle body 370. The fastening hole 378 isprovided on the boss 377. The boss 377 protrudes and extends into theposition vacating through-hole 312 of the secondary lock 301. Acircumferential wall of the boss 377 is arranged to be spaced from thehole wall of the position vacating through-hole 312. The boss 377 isprovided with a step face 379. The step face 379 may abut against acircuit board 360 to thereby support the circuit board 360. In thisembodiment, the step face 379 is an annular step face. A bottom end(i.e., free end) of the boss 377 extends through the position vacatingthrough-hole 312 to the step face 379 out of the position vacatingthrough-hole 312. That is, the step face 379 protrudes relative to thesecondary lock 101 and extends to support the circuit board 360 (as willbe described infra). Of course, the step face 379 may also be flush withthe surface of the secondary lock 101, as long as it may have space forbearing the circuit board 360.

To reduce erroneous interference from the external force with thesecondary lock 301, which would otherwise affect assembling, the outercircumferential wall 374 of the receptacle body 370 is arranged toprotrude along the transverse and longitudinal directions of the lockbody 310. Additionally, in this embodiment, the receptacle housing 302is an integrated injection-molded unit.

With reference to FIGS. 19 and 20, as an embodiment, a receptacle 306 isprovided. The receptacle 306 further comprises a connecting terminal303. The connecting terminal 303 is disposed on the receptacle housing302 and is arranged to be block-fitted with the secondary lock 301 alongthe axial direction of the connecting terminal 303.

The connecting terminal 303 is configured for electrically connecting amating terminal on a charging gun (not shown). The number anddistribution of the connecting terminals 303 may be selected as needed.In this embodiment, 9 connecting terminals 303, 303 b, 303 c, 303 d, 303e, 303 f, 303 g, 303 h, 303 i are correspondingly mounted on thereceptacle housing 302, respectively, to meet corresponding Chinesenational standards.

With reference to FIGS. 21 and 22 together, a circumferential wall ofthe connecting terminal 303 is provided with a retaining step 390. FIG.21 shows that when the secondary lock 301 is in a final locking positionrelative to the receptacle housing 302, the retaining step 390 may beaxially block-fitted with the terminal retaining portion 350.

With reference to FIGS. 23 and 24 together, the secondary lock 301 movesfrom the pre-locking position to the final locking position. At thispoint, the terminal retaining portion 350 i moves to at least partiallyoverlap with the retaining step 390 of the connecting terminal 303 i sothat the connecting terminal 303 i may be axially blocked.Correspondingly, the locking portion 330 of the secondary lock 301 islongitudinally block-fitted with the lock-fitting portion 380 of thereceptacle housing 302.

Correspondingly, in FIG. 25 below, the connecting terminal 303 isarranged to protrude axially relative to the terminal retaining portion350; i.e., the connecting terminal 303 is arranged to protrude relativeto an upper surface 311 of the lock body 310. A lower surface 313 of thelock body 310 is arranged to face the receptacle housing 302. Theconnecting terminal 303 may be longitudinally block-fitted with theterminal retaining portion 350 to thereby prevent the secondary lock 301from being excessively mounted along the mounting direction. Meanwhile,the locking portion 330 is block-fitted with the lock-fitting portion380, to prevent the terminal retaining portion 350 from retreatinglongitudinally and thus being released from the block-fitting with theretaining step 390.

With reference to FIG. 25, as another embodiment, a receptacle 307 isprovided. The receptacle 307 further comprises a circuit board 360. Thecircuit board 360 is arranged on the receptacle housing 302 and may beelectrically connected to the connecting terminal 303.

With reference to FIG. 26 and FIG. 27 together, the circuit board 360(also referred to as PCB (Printed Circuit Board)) is shown. The circuitboard 360 is configured for transmitting at least one of current,voltage, and an electric signal. To enhance the performance in axiallylimiting and retaining the secondary lock 301 firmly, the circuit board360 and the receptacle housing 302 are configured to limit the secondarylock 301 in the axial direction of the connecting terminal 303. That is,the secondary lock 301 is disposed between the circuit board 360 and thereceptacle housing 302. More specifically, to sufficiently utilize spaceand to facilitate a corresponding electric connection, the circuit board360 has a welding face 362 and an element face 364. The welding face 362is arranged to face an upper surface of the secondary lock 360. That is,the circuit board 360 and the secondary lock 301 are limit-blocked faceto face.

To enhance the convenience in mounting the secondary lock 301, thecircuit board 360 is arranged to be at least partially axially spacedfrom the secondary lock 301. Correspondingly, the circuit board 360 maybe arranged to contact the support flange 315 of the secondary lock 301.

To further maintain firmly the circuit board 360 integrated with thereceptacle housing 302, the fastener 340 is arranged to only integrallyassemble the circuit board 360 and the receptacle housing 302. In thisembodiment, the fastener 340 is a screw. Of course, the fastener 340 mayalso be a stud, etc. In this embodiment, the fastener 340 passes throughthe circuit board 360 successively and is fastened to the fastening hole378 of the receptacle housing 302. The fastener 340 passes through theposition vacating through-hole 312 on the lock body 310.

Preferably, the receptacle housing 302 is an electric vehicle chargingreceptacle housing. Correspondingly, the receptacles 305, 306, 307 areelectric vehicle charging receptacles. The plug refers to a charging gunfitted with the electric vehicle charging receptacle. Correspondingly,the connecting terminal 303 is a female terminal. The mating terminal isa male terminal.

It needs to be noted that, unless otherwise indicated, the term“transverse” appearing in contents regarding the secondary lock 301 andthe receptacles 305, 306, 307 refers to the left-right direction of thesecondary lock 301 in FIG. 15. The term “longitudinal” refers to thetop-down direction shown in FIG. 15. The direction in which thesecondary lock 301 is mounted onto the receptacle housing 302 is thedirection from the top down as shown in FIG. 15, i.e., the directionindicated by arrow Ti. The term “axial direction” refers to the axialdirection of the connecting terminal, and is the mounting direction ofthe connecting terminal 303, i.e., the direction perpendicular to theplane in FIG. 15. The terms “inner” and “outer” are relative concepts,and mean that the direction closer to the left and right sides is“inner.” The above directional definitions mentioned herein are allrelative concepts, and are only intended to facilitate understanding therelative positions of various parts in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

Compared with the prior art, the secondary lock 301 of the presentdisclosure may be pre-assembled on the receptacle housing 302 tomaintain integration and facilitate transportation. The secondary lock301, when being mounted onto the receptacle housing 302 along a presetlongitudinal direction, may be block-fitted with the receptacle housing302 via the locking portion 330 to maintain integrated and to retain theterminal retaining portion 350 in a position to block and retain theconnecting terminal 303, so that the terminal retaining portion 350 maybe block-fitted with the connecting terminal 303 along the axialdirection of the connecting terminal 303.

With reference to FIGS. 28 to 31, an electric protective cover 401provided according to the present disclosure is shown. The electricprotective cover 401 is configured for protecting correspondingcomponents on the receptacle 409. The electric protective cover 401comprises a cover body 410, a mounting portion 430 provided on the coverbody 410 to be mountable onto the housing 402, and an accommodating hole450 provided on the cover body 410 to be capable of accommodating theconnecting terminal 403.

The cover body 410 is configured for covering the circuit board 460 toprotect the circuit board 460 and the corresponding electroniccomponents (not shown) provided on the circuit board 460. The specificshape, configuration, and disposition manner of the cover body 410 areonly required to be capable of partially or completely protecting thecircuit board 460. The cover body 410 extends along the radial directionof the receptacle 405 to cover the circuit board 460 disposed at anaxial end of the housing 402. It may also be understood that the coverbody 410 extends along the transverse and longitudinal directions of thehousing 402. Any two of the axial direction, transverse direction, andlongitudinal direction of the housing 402 are perpendicular to eachother. In this embodiment, to sufficiently save space, the cover body410 is substantially plate-shaped. To further enhance the protection ofthe circuit board 460 and to provide space for accommodating theelectronic components, the cover body 410 is arranged to be spaced apartfrom an upper surface 461 of the circuit board 460 along the directionof the electric protective cover 401.

The mounting portion 430 is arranged on the cover body 410 to mount theelectric protective cover 401 onto a housing 402 (as will be describedinfra). The specific shape and configuration of the mounting portion 430are only required to implement the corresponding mounting. That is, themounting portion 430 may be plugged, hinged or the like with the housing402. In this embodiment, the mounting portion 430 is a snap-joint, whichmay be snap-fitted with the housing 402 and assembled integrallytherewith. Specifically, the mounting portion 430 is provided on asupport cantilever 435 (as will be described infra). In this embodiment,four of the mounting portions 430 are arranged to protrude outwards. Thenumber and distribution of the mounting portions 430 may be selectedaccording to needs of an application. In this embodiment, two of themounting portions 430, 430 d are provided on a sidewall of the coverbody 410. The other two mounting portions 430 b, 430 c are provided onthe other sidewall of the cover body 410.

To facilitate demounting the mounting portion 430, a support cantilever435 is provided on the cover body 410. The support cantilever 435 isarranged to extend continuously along the mounting direction of theelectric protective cover 401. The support cantilever 435 is provided ona sidewall of the cover body 410. Correspondingly, four supportcantilevers 435, 435 b, 435 c, 435 d are arranged for supportingcorresponding mounting portions 430, 430 b, 430 c, 430 d, respectively.

The accommodating hole 450 is provided on the cover body 410, and may beconfigured for accommodating the connecting terminal 403. The number anddistribution of the accommodating holes 450 may be selected according toneeds. In this embodiment, five accommodating holes 450, 450 b, 450 c,450 j, 450 i are arranged for accommodating corresponding connectingterminals 403, 403 b, 403 c, 403 j, 403 i. In this embodiment, athrough-hole of the accommodating hole 450 is arranged to run throughalong a mounting direction of the electric protective cover 401. Theaccommodating holes 450, 450 b are enclosed by corresponding hole walls455, 455 b.

To enhance the performance of the accommodating holes 450, 450 b inisolating and protecting the circuit board 460 from the connectingterminals 403, 403 b, isolating walls 458, 458 b are provided on thehole walls 455, 455 b. The isolating walls 458, 458 b are arranged toprotrude along the mounting direction of the electric protective cover401. The hole walls 455, 455 b are arranged to extend along acircumferential direction of the connecting terminal 403, 403 b.

To lay out the wires (not shown) orderly, a lead through-hole 442 isprovided on the cover body 410. The lead through-hole 442 is arranged torun through along a mounting direction of the electric protective cover401. The number and distribution of the lead through-holes 442 may beselected as needed, as long as they may facilitate corresponding wiresto penetrate through the upper and lower sides of the cover body 410.

Further, a lead groove 444 is provided on the cover body 410. The leadgroove 444 is arranged for retaining the wires. In this embodiment, thelead groove 444 is provided on a sidewall of the cover body 410.Further, an opening of the lead groove 444 faces towards the mountingdirection of the electric protective cover 410.

Further, a lead through-hole 442 b is provided on the cover body 410. Aretaining arm 446 is provided on the cover body 410. The retaining arm446 is disposed above the lead through-hole 442 b and extends in anarched shape.

Therefore, the lead through-hole 442, the lead groove 444, and theretaining arm 446 disposed above the lead through-hole 442 b areembodiments of the wire retaining part, respectively, for harnessing andguiding corresponding wires.

To be capable of firmly retaining a seal ring 404 (as will be describedinfra) on the housing 402, a limiting arm 420 is provided on the coverbody 410. The limiting arm 420 is arranged to be contactable with theseal ring 404 on the charging receptacle housing 402. In thisembodiment, the limiting arm 420 has a base plate 422. A boss 425 isprovided on a bottom face of the base plate 422. In this embodiment, theboss 425 directly abuts against the real ring 404.

To enhance the stable performance, the electric protective cover 401 isan integrated unit. In this embodiment, to ease manufacturing and tofacilitate electric insulation, the electric protective cover 401 is aninjection-molded unit.

Referring to FIGS. 32 to 34, a receptacle 405 is provided according tothe present disclosure. The receptacle 405 comprises a housing 402, acircuit board 460, and the electric protective cover 401 described inthe foregoing embodiments. The circuit board 460 is disposed on thehousing 402. The electric protective cover 401 covers the circuit board460.

The specific shape and configuration of the housing 402 are onlyrequired to be capable of supporting the corresponding circuit board460. In this embodiment, the housing 402 is substantially block-shaped.Further, to support the corresponding connecting terminal 403, acorresponding mounting hole 475 is provided on the housing 402. In thisembodiment, the mounting hole 475 is a through-hole arranged to runthrough along a mounting direction of the electric protective cover 401.The mounting hole 475 and the accommodating hole 450 are only requiredto one-to-one correspond to and accommodate the corresponding connectingterminals 403; i.e., the mounting hole 475 is arranged to communicatewith the accommodating hole 450. In this embodiment, the mounting hole475 is arranged to be axially aligned with the accommodating hole 450.In this embodiment, FIG. 33 shows 5 mounting holes 475, 475 b, 475 c,475 i, 475 j to correspondingly accommodate the connecting terminals403, 403 b, 403 c, 403 i, 403 j (as will be described infra).

To facilitate snap-fit with the electric protective cover 401, asnap-fitting portion 471 is provided on the housing 402. Thesnap-fitting portion 471 may be snap-fitted with the mounting portion430 which is a snap-joint. In this embodiment, the snap-fitting portion471 is a snap-fitting hole. Of course, the snap-fitting portion 471 mayalso be a snap-fitting cavity.

To enhance the sealing and waterproof performance between the housing402 and a mating housing 407 (as will be described infra), thereceptacle 405 further comprises a seal ring 404. The seal ring 404 isdisposed on the housing 402. Specifically, the seal ring 404 is attachedonto an outer circumferential wall of a bottom end of the housing 402.The seal ring 404 may be a rubber ring. The seal ring 404 may abutagainst an outer circumferential wall of the top end of the housing 202,thereby enhancing the sealing and waterproof performance.

With reference to FIGS. 35 to 37, the receptacle 407 further comprises aconnecting terminal 403 to facilitate a corresponding electricalconnection. The connecting terminal 403 is provided on the housing 402and may extend along a direction opposite to the mounting direction ofthe electric protective cover 401 into the accommodating hole 450. Inthis embodiment, at least part of the connecting terminal 403 isarranged in the mounting hole 475. Particularly, some of the connectingterminals 403 are isolated from the circuit board 460 by the isolatingwalls 458, 485 b, thereby enhancing the safety performance. In thisembodiment, 5 connecting terminals 403, 403 b, 403 c, 403 i, 450 j areaccommodated, in one-to-one correspondence, in the mounting holes 475,475 b, 475 c, 475 i, 475 j, respectively.

FIG. 37 shows that top ends of the connecting terminals 403, 403 bextend into the accommodating holes 450, 450 b. The isolating walls 458,458 b separately extend to surpass the bottom face of the circuit board475 and are disposed at two transverse sides of the circuit board 475,thereby isolating the connecting terminals 403, 403 b from the circuitboard 460.

With reference to FIG. 38, another type of receptacle 409 is providedaccording to the present disclosure. Different from the foregoingembodiments, the receptacle 409 further comprises a mating housing 480.The mating housing 480 is configured for providing protection andsupport for the mating terminal (not shown). The mating housing 480 isarranged on the housing 402. The mating housing 480 has an accommodatingcavity 485. The accommodating cavity 485 is configured for accommodatingthe electric protective cover 401. That is, the mating housing 480 andthe housing 402 are integrally assembled to provide protection andsupport for other components. An inner sidewall of the mating housing480 is in sealing contact with the seal ring 404, thereby achieving thesealing and waterproof performance of the mating housing 480. To enhancethe performance in the firmly and integrally assembling, the matinghousing 480 is snap-fitted to the housing 402 through a snap-joint (notshown) to maintain integrated.

The above structural configurations of the receptacles 405, 407, and 409are particularly suitable for charging electric vehicles, which then maybe receptacles useful for charging electric vehicles, to be mated with acorresponding charging gun. Particularly, the isolating walls 458 and458 b may isolate electromagnetic interference with the circuit board460 caused by connecting terminals 403, 403 b which conduct a relativelylarge current.

It needs to be noted that unless otherwise indicated, the mountingdirection in which the electric protective cover 401 is mounted onto thehousing 402, as mentioned in the contents regarding the electricprotective cover 401 and the receptacle 405, etc. disclosed herein,refers to the axial direction of the connecting terminal 403, i.e., thedirection from the top down shown in FIG. 31. The transverse directionrefers to the left-right direction in FIG. 30; the longitudinaldirection refers to the top-down direction in FIG. 30; and two sidesrefer to the left and right sides in FIG. 30. Additionally, “upper andlower,” “left and right,” and “top and bottom” are all relativeconcepts. The directional definitions mentioned above are only intendedto facilitate understanding the relative positions of various parts inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Compared with the prior art, the electric protective cover 401 of thepresent disclosure may be conveniently and quickly mounted onto thehousing 402 through the mounting portion 430, and the cover body 410provide protection for the circuit board disposed on the housing 402 andthe components on the circuit board. Preferably, by means of a limitingarm 420, the electric protective cover 401 may prevent the seal ring 404on the housing 402 from falling off, thereby facilitating assembly.Preferably, the electric protective cover 401 enables the wires to beharnessed and guided by means of the wire retaining parts such as thethrough-hole 442, the guide groove 444, the limiting arm 420 and thelike, thereby preventing messy layout of the circuit and occurrence ofwaggling. Preferably, an isolating wall 458 is provided to protrude fromthe hole wall of the accommodating hole of the electric protectivecover, thereby providing an electromagnetic isolation and avoidingelectromagnetic interference generated between the circuit board and theconnecting terminal 403 when a relatively large current flows through,and thereby enhancing safety performance.

With reference to FIGS. 39 to 40, a seal ring 550 is provided accordingto the present disclosure. The seal ring comprises a pair of sealsidewalls 551, 553, which are arranged to be spaced from each other, anda connecting top wall 555. Each of the seal sidewalls 551, 553 comprisespaired seal surfaces 552, 552 b, 556, 556 b. The pair of seal sidewalls551, 553 have oppositely arranged seal surfaces 552 b, 556 b. Theconnecting top wall 555 is disposed between the pair of seal sidewalls551, 553 and connects them integrally. The seal ring 550 may be anintegrated unit. The seal ring 550 may be a rubber ring. The pair ofseal sidewalls 551, 553 and the connecting top wall 555 form a retaininggroove (559). The seal sidewalls 551, 553 refer to a first seal sidewall551 and a second seal sidewall 553, respectively, as will be describedinfra. The seal sidewall 551 has a pair of oppositely arranged sealsurfaces 552, 552 b. The seal sidewall 553 has a pair of oppositelyarranged seal surfaces 556, 556 b. The seal surfaces 552, 552 b, 556,556 b extend along a circumferential direction and axial direction ofthe seal ring 550. Convex ribs 554, 554 b, 554 c, 554 d, 557, 557 b, 557c, 557 d extending circumferentially are provided on the seal surfaces552, 552 b, 556, 556 b. Convex ribs 554, 554 b are provided on the sealsurface 552. Convex ribs 554 c, 554 d are provided on the seal surface552 b. Convex ribs 557, 557 b are provided on the seal surface 556.Convex ribs 557 c, 557 d are provided on the seal surface 556 b.

With reference to FIGS. 41 to 44, a seal assembly 501 is providedaccording to the present disclosure. The seal assembly 501 comprises amounting seat 530 and a seal ring 550. The seal ring 550 is disposed onthe mounting seat 530, and may be seal-fitted with the mounting seat 530and a first support 502 (as will be described infra) and may beseal-fitted with the mounting seat 530 and a second support 503 (as willbe described infra).

The mounting seat 530 is configured for supporting an electronicelement. In this embodiment, the mounting seat 530 is configured forsupporting a connecting terminal 504 (as will be described infra). Themounting seat 530 has a seat body 531. The seat body 531 is configuredfor supporting the connecting terminal 504. In this embodiment, tofirmly support the connecting terminal 504, a mounting hole 533 isprovided on the seat body 531. The number and arrangement of themounting holes 533 are only required to be capable of retaining thecorresponding connecting terminal 504. It may be contemplated that theseat body 531 and the mounting hole 533 are only required to be capableof implementing corresponding supporting, and other structural forms mayalso be used to provide support for the connecting terminal 504.

The mounting seat 530 has an outer circumferential wall 535 and asupport stage 537. The outer circumferential wall 535 may be acircumferential wall of the seat body 531. In this embodiment, the outercircumferential wall 535 is arranged to surround the seat body 531. Theshape and size surrounded by the outer circumferential wall 535 may beselected as needed. In this embodiment, the outer circumferential wall535 is substantially a chamfered rectangular shape. The support stage537 is protrudingly arranged on the outer circumferential wall 535 andextends along the radial direction of the mounting seat 530. The supportstage 537 is arranged to directly support the seal ring 550. The sizeand extending shape of the support stage 537 are only required to enablethe corresponding seal ring 550 to be supported. In this embodiment, toenhance the firm supporting performance, the support stage 537 isarranged to protrude outwardly relative to the radial direction of theseal ring 550. Further, the support stage 537 extends along thecircumferential direction of the outer circumferential wall 535 of themounting seat 530 to form a closed-ring shape. Of course, the supportstage 537 may also extend in an open-ring shape.

To further enhance the performance in firmly retaining the seal ring550, the mounting seat 530 further comprises a retaining wall 539. Theretaining wall 539 is arranged on the support stage 537 to protrudealong the axial direction of the mounting seat 530. Specifically, theretaining wall 539 is protrudingly arranged on an upper surface of thesupport stage 537. In this embodiment, the retaining wall 539 extendsalong the circumferential direction of the mounting seat 530 to form aclosed-ring shape. Of course, the retaining wall 539 may also be anopen-ring shape. The retaining wall 539 is arranged to be radiallyspaced from the outer circumferential wall 535, and encloses anaccommodating groove 540.

In this embodiment, the accommodating groove 540 is enclosed by theretaining wall 539, the support stage 537, and the outer circumferentialwall 535 to form a U-shaped groove. The depth and width of theaccommodating groove 540 are only required to be capable of implementingcorresponding sealing.

The aforementioned various components on the mounting seat 530 may beindependently formed. In this embodiment, to facilitate manufacturingand enhance the stable performance, the mounting seat 530 is anintegrated unit. Specifically, the mounting seat 530 is aninjection-molded unit.

The seal ring 550 is disposed on the support stage 537. The seal ring550 may be arranged on the support stage 537 in any manner, as long astwo sides of the seal ring 550 may form a waterproof seal with the firstsupport 502 and the second support 503, respectively. For example, theseal ring 550 is directly disposed on the support stage 537 and thusachieve a waterproof seal by mutually abutting against the first support502 and the sidewall 503. Of course, the seal ring 550 may also besecurely provided on the support stage 537 by adhesives. In thisembodiment, to facilitate demounting and achieve stable retainingperformance, the seal ring 550 has a retaining groove 559. The retaininggroove 559 is mate-plugged with the retaining wall 539, so that the sealring 550 can be retained in a preset position relative to the mountingseat 530.

The seal ring 550 comprises a first seal sidewall 551 and a second sealsidewall 553 which are arranged opposite to each other. The first sealsidewall 551 faces the outer circumferential wall 535 of the mountingseat 530 and is arranged to be spaced therefrom. The accommodatinggroove 540 is enclosed by the first seal sidewall 551, the support stage537, and the outer circumferential wall 535. The first seal sidewall 551may be arranged in seal contact with the first support 502. The secondseal sidewall 553 may be arranged in seal contact with the secondsupport 503.

The seal ring 550 further comprises a connecting top wall 555. Theconnecting top wall 555 is connected to the first seal sidewall 551 andthe second seal sidewall 553, respectively, to enclose the retainingwall 559. In this embodiment, the retaining wall 559 extends to form aclosed-ring shape.

The first seal sidewall 551 has a first seal surface 552. The first sealsurface 552 may be arranged in seal contact with the first support 502.Further, to enhance the sealing and waterproof performance and tofacilitate assembly, in this embodiment, a convex rib 554 isprotrudingly provided on the first seal surface 552. The convex rib 554is arranged to protrude along the radial direction of the mounting seat530 and may radially abut against the first support 502. Convex ribs 554c, 554 d are provided on a side face of the first seal sidewall 551facing the retaining wall 539. The two convex ribs 554 c, 554 d arearranged to abut against the retaining wall 539.

Correspondingly, the second seal sidewall 553 has a second seal surface556. The second seal surface 556 may be arranged in seal contact withthe second support 503. Further, to enhance the sealing and waterproofperformance and to facilitate assembly, in this embodiment, a secondconvex rib 554 b is protrudingly provided on the second seal surface.The second convex rib 554 b is arranged to protrude outwardly along theradial direction of the mounting seat 530 and may radially abut againstthe second support 503.

To further enhance the sealing and waterproof performance, a seal end558 is provided at a bottom end of the second seal surface 556. The sealend 558 is arranged to protrude outwardly along the radial direction ofthe seat body 530. That is, the seal end 558 and the second sealsidewall 553 enclose a step. To provide a firm support for the seal end558, the support stage 537 is arranged to protrude radially relative tothe seal end 558. Of course, the support stage 537 may also be arrangedto be flush with the seal end 536.

To enhance the sealing and waterproof performance, the seal ring 550 maybe an elastic deformation structure. Correspondingly, the first sealsidewall 551 may be arranged to be close to or distant from the secondseal sidewall 553. Specifically, the seal ring 550 is a rubber ring. Theseal ring 550 as a sealing element extends in a closed-ring shape.

With reference to FIG. 45, a seal assembly 505 is further providedaccording to the present disclosure. Different from the foregoingembodiments, the seal assembly 505 comprises a second support 503. Thesecond support 503 is provided on the mounting seat 530 and is arrangedto be seal-fitted with the mounting seat 530 via the seal ring 550.

The second support 503 is configured for supporting a correspondingcomponent (not shown). The shape and configuration of the second support503 are only required to be capable of implementing the correspondingseal-fitting. The specific shape and configuration of the second support503 are only required to satisfy corresponding supporting needs. Thesecond support 503 has a mating seal wall 572. The mating seal wall 572is arranged in seal contact with the seal ring 550. Further, the matingseal wall 572 is arranged in seal contact with the second seal surface556 of the second seal sidewall 553. In this embodiment, the mating sealwall 572 is arranged to radially abut against two convex ribs 557, 557b. Further, a step 577 (see FIG. 50 below for details) is provided at abottom end of the mating seal wall 572. The step 577 abuts against theseal end 558, thereby enhancing the sealing and waterproof performance.The bottom end of the mating seal wall 572 may be arranged to abut onthe support stage 537. Convex ribs 557 c, 557 d are provided on a sideface of the second seal sidewall 553 facing the retaining wall 539. Thetwo convex ribs 557 c, 557 d are arranged to abut against a side face ofthe retaining wall 539.

With reference to FIG. 46, yet another seal assembly 506 is providedaccording to the present disclosure. Different from the foregoingembodiments, the seal assembly 56 further comprises a first support 502.The first support 502 is disposed on the mounting seat 530.

The first support 502 is configured for supporting other components (notshown). The first support 502 is arranged in seal contact with themounting seat 530, respectively. In this embodiment, the first support502 has a mounting pin 562. The mounting pin 562 is accommodated in theaccommodating groove 540 and is arranged to be seal-fitted with the sealring 550 and the outer circumferential wall 535, respectively. Themounting pin 562 is arranged to extend along the axial direction of theseat body 530. The mounting pin 562 may be arranged to be in direct sealcontact with the first seal surface 552 of the first seal sidewall 551.In this embodiment, the mounting pin 562 is arranged to abut against thetwo convex ribs 554 and 554 b.

The first support 502 further comprises an ear plate 564. The ear plate564 is arranged on a top end of the mounting pin 562. The ear plate 564is arranged to protrude along the radial direction of the mounting seat530. The ear plate 564 may support other components. To enhance thesealing and waterproof performance, the ear plate 564 extends outwardlyto protrude from the seal ring 550. The ear plate 564 may be arranged tobe axially spaced from the top end of the seal ring 550, to providecorresponding movement space.

The specific shape of the first support 502 may be selected according toneeds. In this embodiment, to facilitate mounting the connectingterminal 504, the first support 502 is substantially a closed-ringshape. Correspondingly, the first support 502 is an injection-moldedunit.

With reference to FIG. 47, yet another seal assembly 507 is providedaccording to the present disclosure. The seal assembly 507 comprises theseal assembly 506, the first support 502, and the second support 503 asdisclosed in the foregoing embodiments.

Specifically, the second support 503 further comprises a second supportbody 576, which is configured for supporting the mating seal wall 572.Meanwhile, the second support body 576 may also be configured forsupporting other components (not shown).

To enhance the sealing and waterproof performance, the second support503 is assembled integrally with the mounting seat 530. In thisembodiment, fastening holes 560, 560 b are arranged on the seat body531. Specifically, supporting portions 565, 565 b are protrudinglyarranged on an outer sidewall of the seat body 531. The fastening holes560, 560 b are arranged to run axially through the supporting portions565, 565 b. Correspondingly, the second support body 574 is providedwith mating fastening holes 575, 575 b. The seal assembly 507 furthercomprises fasteners 570, 570 b. The fasteners 570, 570 b extend, inone-to-one correspondence, into the fastening holes 560, 560 b and themating fastening holes 575, 575 b, so that the mounting seat 530 may beintegrally fastened to and assembled with the second support 503.

With reference to FIGS. 48 to 50, a receptacle 508 is also providedaccording to the present disclosure. The receptacle 508 comprises one ofthe seal assemblies 501, 505, 506, 507 as described in the foregoingembodiments, and a connecting terminal 504. As shown in the figures, thereceptacle 508 comprises the seal assembly 507 as described in theforegoing embodiments. The connecting terminal 504 is arranged on themounting seat 530.

The specification and number of the connecting terminal 504 are onlyrequired to meet corresponding electrical connection needs. In thisembodiment, 9 connecting terminals 504, 504 b, 504 c, 504 d, 504 e, 504f, 504 j, 504 h, 504 i are arranged on the mounting seat 530, andspecifically arranged in the mounting holes 533, 533 b, 533 c, 533 d,533 e, 533 f, 533 j, 533 h, 533 i of the seat body 531, so as to meetcorresponding Chinese national standards. Correspondingly, thereceptacle 507 is a receptacle useful for charging electric vehiclessuch that it may be in mating electrical connection with a charging gun.

It needs to be noted that unless otherwise indicated, the terms “upper,lower,” “left, right,” “top, bottom,” “one side, the other side,” and“inner, outer,” as mentioned in the contents regarding the seal ring550, seal assemblies 501, 505, 506, 507, and the receptacle 508 in thepresent disclosure, are all relative concepts. FIG. 43 and FIG. 44 showa top-down direction. Particularly, the direction from the top down is amounting direction of the connecting terminal 504. Particularly, a firstseal surface 552 on the first seal sidewall 551 is seal-fitted with thefirst support 502; the second seal surface 556 on the second sealsidewall 553 is seal-fitted with the second support 506.

Compared with the prior art, the seal assembly 501 of the presentdisclosure may enable a waterproof seal between the three components ofthe mounting seat 530, the first support 502, and the second support 503via a seal ring 550, and has a simplified structure and is convenient toassemble, thereby enhancing performance and productivity. The receptacle508 may enhance waterproof performance and reduce manufacturing costs byadopting the seal assembly 505.

With reference to FIGS. 51 to 53, a receptacle housing 601 providedaccording to the present disclosure is shown. The receptacle housing 601comprises a housing body 610 and a retaining portion 630 disposed on thehousing body 610. The retaining portion 630 is configured for supportingand retaining a heat conducting element 650.

The housing body 610 may be configured for supporting a connectingterminal 603 under temperature measurement, as well as other componentsand structures. The specific shape and configuration of the housing body610 are only required to be suitable for the above supporting function.In this embodiment, the housing body 610 is substantially block-shaped.The housing body 610 has an axial direction along the mounting directionof the connecting terminal 603. To facilitate firmly retaining acorresponding connecting terminal 603, a mounting hole 612 is providedon the housing body 610. The mounting hole 612 is configured foraccommodating a corresponding connecting terminal 603. The size, numberand distribution of the mounting holes 612 may be selected according toneeds. Correspondingly, the mounting hole 612 is enclosed by a hole wall613. That is, the hole wall 613 extends circumferentially and enclosesthe mounting hole 612 that may retain the corresponding connectingterminal 603. To facilitate implementing the corresponding electricalconnection, the mounting hole 612 is a through-hole provided to runthrough along an axial direction of the housing body 610. In thisembodiment, 9 mounting holes 612, 612 b, 612 c, 612 d, 612 e, 612 f, 612g, 612 h, 612 i are configured for mounting and retaining the following9 connecting terminals 603, 603 b, 603 c, 603 d, 603 e, 603 f, 603 g,603 h, 603 i. Further, the housing body 610 has a supporting end face616. The supporting end face 616 is configured for supporting a circuitboard 680 (as will be described infra). The supporting end face 680 is asurface at an axial end of the housing body 610.

The specific structure of the retaining portion 630 is only required tobe capable of supporting and retaining the corresponding heat conductingelement 650, and, for example, may be a snap-joint. In this embodiment,to further facilitate supporting and retaining the heat conductingelement 650, the retaining portion 630 comprises a first retainingportion 631 and a second retaining portion 635. The first retainingportion 631 and the second retaining portion 635 may be arranged to becontinuous or spaced apart. That the first retaining portion 631 and thesecond retaining portion 635 are arranged to be continuous means theycontact with each other, or they may also be connected as an integratedstructure. In this embodiment, the first retaining portion 631 maycommunicate with the second retaining portion 635 to form a groove body.The first retaining portion 631 is provided on the housing body 610, forretaining a first heat conducting portion 651 of the heat conductingelement 650. The shape and configuration of the first retaining portion631 are only required to support and retain the corresponding first heatconducting portion 651, so that the first heat conducting portion 651 isarranged in a corresponding preset position. For example, the firstretaining portion 631 may be a snap-joint, a cantilever, or athrough-hole wall, etc. In this embodiment, to facilitate mounting andto facilitate heat conduction, the first retaining portion 631 is alimiting groove. The specific shape and configuration of the limitinggroove 631 are only required to the capable of limiting and retainingthe first heat conducting portion 651 of the heat conducting element 650in a preset position. In this embodiment, the first retaining portion631 is a through-groove enclosed by a pair of limiting walls 631 a, 631b that are arranged to face each other and be spaced apart. That is, oneend of the limiting groove of the first retaining portion 631 extends tocommunicate with the corresponding mounting hole 612. The limitinggroove of the first retaining portion 631 is a rectangular groove with awidth equivalent to that of the first heat conducting portion 651. Morespecifically, the pair of limiting walls 631 a, 631 b are axially andprotrudingly provided on the supporting end face 616 of the housing body610. That is, the retaining portion 631 is disposed on the supportingend face 616.

With continuous reference to FIG. 52, more specifically, the firstretaining portion 631 comprises a pair of limiting walls 631 a, 631 b.The pair of the limiting walls 631 a, 631 b are arranged to face and bespaced apart from each other. The pair of the limiting walls 631 a, 631b enclose a limiting groove such that the first heat conducting portion651 may be retained in a preset position. In this embodiment, the pairof the first retaining portions 631 are arranged to face each other in acharacter “A” shape.

The second retaining portion 635 is provided on the housing body 610.The second retaining portion 635 is configured for retaining a secondheat conducting portion 655. The specific structure and configuration ofthe second retaining portion are only required to be capable ofretaining the corresponding second heat conducting portion 655. Thesecond retaining portion 635 may adopt the same or different structurefrom that of the first retaining portion 631. To facilitate achieving astable heat conduction with the corresponding connecting terminal 603,the second retaining portion 635 extends into the mounting hole 612 foraccommodating the connecting terminal 603. In this embodiment, thesecond retaining portion 635 is a guide groove. Correspondingly, thesecond retaining portion 635 is provided on a hole wall 613 of themounting hole 612. Specifically, the second retaining portion 635 is aguide groove provided on the hole wall 613. That is, the secondretaining portion 635 is arranged to extend along the axial direction ofthe housing body 610. The specific shape of the guide groove is onlyrequired to be capable of retaining the corresponding second heatconducting portion 655. In this embodiment, the guide groove is arectangular groove having the same shape as that of the second heatconducting portion 655.

With continuous reference to FIG. 52 and FIG. 53, the second retainingportion 635 comprises a pair of retaining walls 635 a, 635 b. The pairof retaining walls 635 a, 635 b are provided on the hole wall 613 andarranged in the mounting hole 612 to protrude radially. The pair ofretaining walls 635 a, 635 b are arranged to extend along the axialdirection of the mounting hole 612. Further, to enhance the performancein supporting the heat conducting element 650, the second retainingportion 635 further comprises a supporting bottom wall 635 c. Thesupporting bottom wall 635 c is provided at the bottom end of the pairof retaining walls 635 a, 635 b, so as to support the bottom end 655 bof the second heat conducting portion 655. In this embodiment, thesupporting bottom wall 635 c and the hole wall 613 enclose a step shape.

The relative position of the first retaining portion 631 and the secondretaining portion 635 is arranged so that they may enable the first heatconducting portion 651 and the second heat conduction portion 655 of theheat conducting element 650 to be correspondingly retained,respectively. The first retaining portion 631 may be arranged to bespaced apart from or connected with the second retaining portion 635. Inthis embodiment, to further facilitate assembly and save space occupiedby the heat conducting element 650, the second retaining portion 635extends to the top end of the hole wall 613 of the mounting hole 612,thereby being connected to the first retaining portion 631. That is, thefirst retaining portion 631 and the second retaining portion 635 extendcontinuously to be an integrated shape. In this embodiment, it is thecase that the guide groove as the second retaining portion 635communicates with the limiting groove of the first retaining portion631.

Any two of the first retaining portion 631, the second retaining portion635, and the housing body 610 may be formed independently of each other.In this embodiment, the receptacle housing 601 is an integrated unit forfacilitating the formation of a stable structure. Further, to facilitateachieving electrical insulation performance, the receptacle housing 601is an injection-molded unit. The above structural configurations of thereceptacle housing 601 are particularly suitable for a housing of anelectric vehicle charging receptacle.

With reference to FIG. 54, the present disclosure further provides areceptacle housing assembly 605. The receptacle housing assembly 605comprises a heat conducting element 650 and the receptacle housing 601disclosed in the foregoing embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 55 together, the specific material andconfiguration of the heat conducting element 650 are only required to becapable of satisfying corresponding heat conducting needs. To improvemounting convenience and enhance heat conducting efficiency, the heatconducting element 650 is an elastic element, so as to be arranged tocontact and abut against the corresponding connecting terminal 603 andbe bent to adapt to needs of different mounting paths. To enhance theheat conducting performance and mounting convenience, in the embodiment,the heat conducting element 650 is a silicone pad.

The heat conducting element 650 comprises a first heat conductingportion 651 and a second heat conducting portion 655 that are integrallyconnected with each other. The heat conducting portion 651 is disposedat the first retaining portion 631 and may be configured to conduct heatfrom the connecting terminal 603 under temperature measurement to thesecond heat conducting portion 655. In this embodiment, the first heatconducting portion 651 is substantially a rectangular plate shape. Thesecond heat conducting portion 655 is correspondingly also a rectangularplate shape. The first heat conducting portion 651 is perpendicularlyand integrally connected with the second heat conducting portion 655 toform the heat conducting element 650 substantially L-shaped. The secondheat conducting portion 655 is disposed at the second retaining portion635 and may conduct heat to a temperature measuring element 660. Thefirst heat conducting portion 651 and the second heat conducting portion655 are only required to be supported by the corresponding firstretaining portion 631 and the second retaining portion 635 and beretained in preset positions. In this embodiment, the first heatconducting portion 651 is accommodated and limited in a limiting groovewhich functions as the first retaining portion 631 and arranged toaxially protrude out of the limiting groove. The second heat conductingportion 655 is accommodated and limited in the guide groove whichfunctions as the second retaining portion 635 and radially protrudes outof the guide groove so as to axially abut against the connectingterminal 603. A bottom end 655 b of the second heat conducting portion655 is disposed on the supporting bottom wall 635 c of the secondretaining portion 635.

One feature of the present disclosure is that the above structuralconfigurations may enable the heat of the connecting terminal 603 to beconducted out conveniently, thereby facilitating measurement. Referringto FIG. 55, in this embodiment, the receptacle housing assembly 605comprises a temperature-measuring element 660. The temperature-measuringelement 660 may be arranged to be in heat conductive contact with thesecond heat conducting portion 655. The temperature-measuring element660 is configured for measuring the temperature of the connectingterminal 603 and then transmitting the temperature to the circuit board680. The specific specification and type of the temperature-measuringelement 660 may be selected as needed. In this embodiment, thetemperature-measuring element 660 is a thermistor. More specifically,the temperature-measuring element 660 is a negative temperaturecoefficient thermistor. Of course, the temperature-measuring element 660may adopt other temperature sensors to implement temperaturemeasurement. The specific position arrangement of thetemperature-measuring element 660 is only required to be capable ofimplementing corresponding temperature measurement. To shorten the heatconducting distance and improve corresponding temperature-measurementspeed, a bottom end (not shown) of the temperature-measuring element 660is provided at an upper surface 651 a of the first heat conductingportion 651. Further, a top end 662 of the temperature-measuring element660 is arranged to be opposite to and be electrically connected with alower surface of the circuit board 680. The temperature-measuringelement 660 is embedded on the heat conducting element 650. In thisembodiment, the bottom end of the temperature-measuring element 660abuts against and is embedded in the heat conducting element 650 in theform of a silicone pad.

With reference to FIGS. 56 and 57, a first receptacle 608 is providedaccording to the present disclosure. The receptacle 608 comprises thereceptacle housing assembly 605 and the connecting terminal 603 and thecircuit board 680 as described in the foregoing embodiments. Preferably,the receptacle 608 is an electric vehicle charging receptacle.

The connecting terminal 603 is arranged on the housing body 610. In thisembodiment, the structures of 9 connecting terminals 603, 603 b, 603 c,603 d, 603 e, 603 f, 603 g, 603 h, 603 i are at least partiallyaccommodated, in one-to-one correspondence, in 9 mounting holes 612, 612b, 612 c, 612 d, 612 e, 612 f, 612 g, 612 h, 612 i. Some connectingterminals 603, 603 b need to undergo temperature measurement asrequired. In this embodiment, two connecting terminals 603, 603 b, whichconduct a relatively large current and have relatively large heatgeneration, need to undergo temperature measurement.

The circuit board 680 (i.e., PCB, Printed Circuit Board) is configuredfor transferring corresponding electric signals, current, etc. In thisembodiment, the circuit board 680 is electrically connected to thetemperature-measuring element 660 to receive a corresponding temperaturesignal and may transfer the temperature signal to other processingdevices for processing. A lower surface of the circuit board 680 isarranged to face an upper surface of the temperature-measuring element660.

It needs to be noted that unless otherwise specified, the terms “upper,lower,” “left, right,” and “top, bottom” mentioned in the contextregarding the receptacle housing 601, the receptacle housing assembly605, and the receptacle 608 as described herein are all relativeconcepts. The term of “axial” refers to the axial direction of theconnecting terminal 603 after the mounting hole 612, i.e., the mountingdirection of the connecting terminal 603.

Compared with the prior art, the receptacle housing assembly 605 of thepresent disclosure can enable the heat conducting element 650 to besupported and sustained by providing the retaining portion 630. Further,the retaining portion 630 comprises a first retaining portion 631 and asecond retaining portion 635, which may retain the first heat conductingportion 651 and the second heat conducting portion 635 of the heatconducting element, respectively, thereby retaining the heat conductingelement 650 in a preset position, which not only facilitates conductingout the heat of the connecting terminal 603, but also may implement astable heat conduction, thereby improving the accuracy of temperaturemeasurement and enhancing the response speed of thetemperature-measuring element 660. Particularly, when the connectingterminal 603 is arranged in a narrow space inside the mounting hole, theheat conducting element 650 may greatly facilitate heat conduction andthus facilitate temperature measurement.

What have been described above are only preferred embodiments of thepresent disclosure, which are not intended to limit the protection scopeof the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutionsor improvements within the spirit of the present disclosure shall becovered within the scope of the claims of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A receptacle housing comprising: a housing body;and a hole wall that continuously extends from the housing body along anaxial direction of the housing body and surrounds along acircumferential direction of the housing body to form a mounting holefor accommodating a corresponding connecting terminal; wherein the holewall is provided with a water draining through-hole.
 2. The receptaclehousing according to claim 1, wherein the mounting hole is arranged toextend along the axial direction of the housing body; and the waterdraining through-hole is disposed at a bottom end of the hole wall. 3.The receptacle housing according to claim 1, wherein the water drainingthrough-hole is arranged to extend along the axial direction of thehousing body; and an axial length of the water draining through-hole islarger than a circumferential width thereof
 4. The receptacle housingaccording to claim 1, wherein the water draining through-hole isarranged to extend continuously along the axial direction of the housingbody to a free end of the hole wall.
 5. The receptacle housing accordingto claim 1, wherein the housing body has a support face; the hole wallis arranged on the support face; and the water draining through-hole isarranged to extend along the axial direction of the housing body and tobe spaced apart from the support face.
 6. The receptacle housingaccording to claim 1, wherein the free end of the hole wall is providedwith a backstop wall; and the backstop wall is arranged to protrudeinwardly along a radial direction of the housing body to prevent theconnecting terminal from leaving the mounting hole.
 7. The receptaclehousing according to claim 6, wherein the backstop wall has a continuousinner circumferential surface.
 8. The receptacle housing according toclaim 1, comprising a plurality of the hole walls, wherein a fencingwall is provided on the housing body; and the fencing wall is arrangedto protrude along the axial direction of the housing body and extendalong the circumferential direction of the housing body to surround allof the hole walls, forming a retaining cavity.
 9. The receptacle housingaccording to claim 6, wherein a second water draining through-hole isprovided on the fencing wall and communicates with an outer portion ofthe housing body.
 10. The receptacle housing according to claim 6,wherein the mounting hole is arranged to extend along a horizontaldirection; the water draining through-hole is arranged at a bottom endin a vertical direction of the hole wall; and the second water drainingthrough-hole is arranged at a bottom end in a vertical direction of thefencing wall.
 11. The receptacle housing according to claim 1, whereinthe receptacle housing is an electric vehicle charging receptaclehousing.
 12. A receptacle, comprising a connecting terminal and thereceptacle housing according to claim 1, wherein the connecting terminalis mounted in the mounting hole to be electrically connectable with acorresponding mating terminal.
 13. The receptacle according to claim 12,wherein one or more of the connecting terminals are provided for one ormore of electrical connections below: an electrical connection between aDC power supply anode and the corresponding mating terminal; anelectrical connection between a DC power supply cathode and thecorresponding mating terminal; an electrical connection between agrounded terminal and the corresponding mating terminal; an electricalconnection between a charging communication anode and the correspondingmating terminal; an electrical connection between a chargingcommunication cathode and the corresponding mating terminal; anelectrical connection between a first charging connection confirmingterminal and the corresponding mating terminal; an electrical connectionbetween a second charging connection confirming terminal and thecorresponding mating terminal; an electrical connection between alow-voltage auxiliary power supply anode and the corresponding matingterminal; and an electrical connection between a low-voltage auxiliarypower supply cathode and the corresponding mating terminal.
 14. Thereceptacle according to claim 12, wherein the connecting terminal is afemale terminal having a contact wall; the contact wall extends along acircumferential direction of the housing body to form an accommodatingcavity; the accommodating cavity is arranged for accommodating acorresponding male terminal; the contact wall has a position vacatingthrough-hole and/or a position vacating notch; and the position vacatingthrough-hole, the position vacating notch, and the water drainingthrough-hole are arranged to be at least partially aligned with eachother.